A computer system is a layered device that includes a hardware layer, a firmware and operating system layer, and an applications program layer. The hardware layer of the computer system is often referred to as a physical platform. The physical platform may include processors, chipsets, communications channels, memory, boards and systems.
The computer system may also include a manageability engine including a microcontroller that is dedicated to allowing the computer system to be managed remotely via a remote management console over a communications network. The manageability engine allows the computer system to be managed remotely even when the computer system is in a low-power (standby/hibernate) state.